FMCSA’s lack of oversight contributed to crash: NTSB

WASHINGTON, DC - The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) needs to crack down on motor carriers after a fatal crash in California. A recent NTSB report found the driver of a motorcoach that crashed on a California highway in the early-morning hours on Aug. 2, 2016, killing four passengers, was sleep deprived.

Safety Officials Push for Collision Avoidance Systems

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Safety officials in the U.S. are recommending what it calls the "life saving benefits" of a technology to become standard on all new commercial and passenger vehicles. A new National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Special Investigation Report, The Use of Forward Collision Avoidance Systems to Prevent and Mitigate Rear-End Crashes stresses that collision avoidance systems can prevent or lessen the severity of rear-end crashes, to help save lives and reduce injuries. According to statistics from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rear-end crashes kill about 1,700 people every year and injure half a million more. More than 80% of these deaths and injuries might have been mitigated had the vehicles been equipped with a collision avoidance system.

U.S. Safety Agency Sees Benefits of Onboard Video Systems

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board has released a report on what it says are the benefits of commercial vehicle onboard video systems that record either continuously or as the result of a triggering event, such as a crash. The report also focuses on what this U.S. government agency says are the advantages offered by these systems for evaluation of both driver and passenger behaviors and collision analysis. The report highlights two recent crash investigations in which continuous video systems were installed on commercial vehicles. The report discusses many what NTSB said are the benefits of onboard video systems, in addition to highlighting areas for improvement, such as the need for to be able to see the driver and each occupant seating location, the need to be able to see forward of the vehicle, optimized frame rate, and low-light recording capability.